Year 1 -
Undergrad
PS51005B: The
Psychology of the Person
Early Perceptual Development
Session Aims
Understand key theories of early perceptual abilities
Explore research methods used in infant studies
Review landmark studies on vision, sound, and cognition in infancy
Key Theoretical Approaches
Nativist
Abilities are innate, present from birth
Thinkers: Descartes (1638), Kant (1781)
Empiricist
Knowledge comes from experience
John Locke (1690): “Tabula Rasa” (blank slate)
William James: Infants’ world is a “blooming buzzing confusion”
Constructivist
Knowledge is constructed through interaction with the world
Piaget: “Continuous creativity through experience”
Empirical Evidence
Infants are born with many perceptual abilities
Development is also shaped by interaction and experience
Undergrad
PS51005B: The
Psychology of the Person
Early Perceptual Development
Session Aims
Understand key theories of early perceptual abilities
Explore research methods used in infant studies
Review landmark studies on vision, sound, and cognition in infancy
Key Theoretical Approaches
Nativist
Abilities are innate, present from birth
Thinkers: Descartes (1638), Kant (1781)
Empiricist
Knowledge comes from experience
John Locke (1690): “Tabula Rasa” (blank slate)
William James: Infants’ world is a “blooming buzzing confusion”
Constructivist
Knowledge is constructed through interaction with the world
Piaget: “Continuous creativity through experience”
Empirical Evidence
Infants are born with many perceptual abilities
Development is also shaped by interaction and experience
